Visionary Enterprise

Visionary Enterprise

Looking to the future of creative production, New Designers at Business Design Centre, Islington, brings together over 3000 emerging practitioners from the UK’s leading institutions. Celebrating forward-thinking developments across textiles, fashion, product design, three-dimensional practice and more, the two-week event offers a platform for new artists to connect with the wider industry whilst offering visitors a dynamic creative arena.

As Chris Hall, Event Director, notes: “New Designers is a celebration of creation and connectivity. The event is a vital platform for the design of tomorrow – ensuring the industry is constantly revitalised with fresh ideas and creative energy. Design education and society’s needs are continuously changing, and every year the showcase anticipates and responds to this shifting landscape.”

Highlights from the 2018 edition include work by Natalie Bell of Nottingham Trent University. Influenced by architecture, the Decorative Arts student creates bold geometric vessels through slip casting. Combining a bright colour palette with sharp edges and clean lines, the practitioner translates 2D shapes into striking 3D forms.

Offering a responsive approach, a featured collection by Falmouth University’s Sustainable Product Design course engages with ecological concerns. The pioneering programme presents It’s Not Easy Being Green, a collection of projects by 21 graduates exploring the relationship between society, economics, ethics and the environment. Examples include Charles Clarke’s Woodland Waste, a lightbox created from the waste stream of colleague Tom Raffield’s lighting business. The object – whilst offering a warm, natural glow – encourages awareness of the issues inherent in the industry, whilst offering a closed loop alternative.

Another must-see is the curated showcase One Year In, which foregrounds 100 entrepreneurs who have recently launched their businesses. Examples include Manchester based practitioner Laura Jane Atkinson, whose products redefine well-known materials such as Linoleum. By reassessing the qualities of common – yet often underused – materials, the pieces offer new, sustainable options.

Week 1 runs from 27-30 June, and Week 2 from 4-7 July. Find out more here.

Credits:
1. VEER POURING VESSEL & TWO CUPS BY ALEX O’CONNOR. PHOTO BY YESHEN VENEMA.
2. Natalie Bell, Nottingham Trent University.
3. VEER POURING VESSEL & TWO CUPS BY ALEX O’CONNOR SILVER AND BG038 BY BRONWEN GRIEVES. PHOTO BY YESHEN VENEMA.